The Women

Film

Skool

The Women was released in 1939, the same year as The Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind, and, er... World War II. It's hard not to think of those things when watching it.

However, as a veritable tsunami of one liners sweep over you, you'll quickly ignore '39's long shadows, as you try to keep pace with George Cukor's firecracker comedy.

The women of The Women. Norma Shearer is such a drag as devoted wife Mary Haines it's hard not to root for a radiant Joan Crawford's mercenary shop girl, Crystal Allen ("There's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society... outside of a kennel.") Roaslind Russell is a hoot as waspish Mrs. Howard Fowler (the scene between her and her "exercise instructress" is a marvel;

Exercise instructress: Arms flat. Crawl slowly up the wall...

Sylvia Fowler: The way you say that makes me feel like vermin.

Exercise instructress: That shouldn't be much effort. I mean, crawling up the wall.

It's not all dialogue: there's a spectacular fashion show set piece shot in colour, and then there's the fact the entire cast is comprised of women: not a single man appears on screen. But as Mary Cecil's Maggie says, "You can't trust none of 'em no further than I can kick this lemon pie."

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